The holiday rush may still be weeks away, but retailers are in full holiday hustle mode. Fittingly, that theme was front and center at Retail Brew’s in-person gathering in August.

“Rewiring Retail: Mastering Data, Inventory, and the Online Customer Experience” in New York City saw top retail executives bring their A-game with hot takes for the upcoming holiday season. Here are some of the top takeaways from our chats with some of the best speakers in the business.

Sticking to core SKUs

Dibs Beauty CEO Jeff Lee remarked that while shoppers are still spending, the consumer is reeling under pressure.

According to Maggie Barnett, COO of ShipHero, brands are going to invest toward their mainline essentials this holiday season. “We’re going to have a lot of products, but again, it’s going to be a limited run,” Barnett told Retail Brew. “We’re going to stick to core SKUs. There’s not going to be a lot of the outlier SKUs.”

Keeping costs down: ‘It’s not about UPS, FedEx, DHL anymore.’

Barnett said we’re not going to see “fully stocked shelves” this time around as inventory for Q4 is running light.

“We’re trying to get folks to get their inventory [in] early, but people are waiting till the last minute,” Barnett said. Retailers don’t want to gamble on experimental products that might just sit on shelves in January.

Keep reading here.—VC

While many believe August is a month when not much of anything happens, that may not be the case for Shopify customers, who spent their wallet share on creating art, cleaning up, and upgrading for fall.

Orders for art, craft, and DIY essentials like craft sets, doll-making kits, felting pads and mats, and art and drafting tables jumped 483%, 251%, 108%, and 63%, respectively in August, according to data shared first with Retail Brew.

With kids heading back to school, some shoppers decided to focus on tidying up and organizing their spaces before fall. August orders for upright steam mops, lawn sweepers, and brooms went up 187%, 115%, and 81%, respectively, across Shopify stores.

Back-to-school season also struck a chord with musicians, with instruments being in high demand, as students returned to bands and orchestras.

Keep reading here.—VC

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Dilini Fernando is CMO of experiential retail media company Freeosk.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in retail? My job is to turn everyday shopping into an experience that inspires, connects, and leaves a lasting impression—one small discovery at a time.

One thing we can’t guess about your job from your LinkedIn profile? We’re a lean team in a fast-paced industry, so I’m not just setting strategy; I’m hands-on with execution. That’s part of the entrepreneurial culture we’ve built from the top down—everyone stays close to the work. It keeps us agile, responsive, and ensures there’s no disconnect between the big vision and how it shows up in the real world.

What’s your favorite project you’ve worked on? Co-creating the concept of experiential retail media. It’s more than a marketing term; it’s a shift in mindset. We gave language to something deeply human: the joy of in-the-moment connection.

Which emerging retail trend are you most excited about right now, and why? Retailers are finally treating their physical space like a media channel.

Keep reading here.—EC

From skepticism to dominance—Walmart’s 25-year journey to embracing online retail was anything but smooth. See how the retail giant went from brick-and-mortar powerhouse to digital leader. This story is part of our Quarter-Century Project reflecting on 25 years in the retail industry. Explore the full quarter-century timeline here.